Researchers at the Scripps Translational Science Institute (STSI) led by digital health pioneer Dr. Eric Topol along with collaborators Qualcomm Life, HealthComp, and Accenture have launched “Wired for Health”. This clinical study is aimed at evaluating whether the integration of wireless technologies, online social networks, and medicine have a direct effect on healthcare spending and may help to lower costs.
Researchers at STSI have begun enrolling 200 study participants with common chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart arrhythmias that have generated high healthcare costs over the past year. Participants are being recruited from Scripps Health’s 13,500 employees and their family members through HealthComp, a third-party administrator of healthcare services.
According to Chris Van Gorder, President and CEO of Scripps Health, “This study will enable us to demonstrate where the technologies are providing the most economic value to the healthcare system and where there is room for improvement.”
Half of the study participants will be issued a mobile health device relevant to their condition to use over a six month period. The devices used in the study are a Withings Blood Pressure Monitor, an AliveCor Heart Monitor and the iBGStar Blood Glucose Meter. Data obtained from these devices will be gathered and delivered via Qualcomm Life’s 2net Hub and Platform, a cloud based platform.
Participants in the wireless intervention group will be able to engage in health sessions and track their conditions through a web portal or mobile device powered by Qualcomm Life’s HealthyCircles Care Orchestration Engine.
While control group members will not be given any of the mobile sensors, participants in both groups will be enrolled in HealthComp’s disease management program which includes one-on-one nurse education and training on how to handle chronic conditions. The researcher team at STSI led by Cinnamon Bloss PhD will evaluate the frequency, purpose and cost of health interventions.
Funding for the study is being provided by Scripps Health and through in-kind device and service donations from Qualcomm Life, HealthComp, Accenture, Withings, AliveCor, and Sanofi Diabetes.
For more information, go to www.scrippshealth.org or email darce.keith@scrippshealth.org.